Telling Our Story Together

The Association of International Schools in Africa has a rich aural history whose threads are woven daily in a tapestry of classrooms and playgrounds, staff meetings, training sessions, faculty lounges and board meetings across the continent. AISA has grown from its earliest days in the late 60’s when, often isolated and in need of support, international schools began reaching out to each other, to today’s vibrant organization which facilitates exactly that support. There are many familiar stories and also many yet-to-be-told stories about how it all came about through the 50 years of the organization’s existence.

At our annual AISA luncheon at the AAIE conference, we have enjoyed telling our stories to each other, often laughing at the many absurdities we have observed or experienced, sometimes shedding tears when there was a poignant moment, and always, always sharing our love for our schools and most especially, the awesome African continent and its gracious people. Now it is time to capture some of these stories in writing.

AISA turns 50 in November 2019. To mark this milestone, we are preparing a publication with stories, photos and documents that will chronicle our history. We hope to collect information, memories, anecdotes and images that will help us tell our story and preserve it for others. We are therefore soliciting input from among the thousands of educators who have passed through one or more of our AISA schools. If you have a story, photos or documents that might support this project, we invite you to submit them to us in the coming weeks.

Please send your input to Areta Williams awilliams@aisa.or.ke and you will receive further guidance about format, length, size of files, etc. Please note that by submitting your story you are granting us permission to print it. While it will not be possible for us to use every submission, we will ensure that all input goes into our digital archive. We reserve the right to edit submissions for clarity and length.